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February 28, 2014

Every once in a while, you happen upon a project or pattern or design and something about it just speaks to you. It might have something to do with how much fun it was to knit, or it might be that there was a perfect marriage of yarn to needles or of yarn to pattern.

At any rate, this Shady Cove Cape-Cowl is one of those projects.

I never worked entrelac before, but I did know that I could work the pattern in all one color and have a nice texture, or I could alternate tiers and colors, or that I could find either an ombre effect yarn or one with long color changes so that the blocks gradually turn from one shade to another, or each block has it's own color.

I chose to use Freia Fine Handpaints in a lace weight, but used much larger needles than what the ball band calls for. This resulted in a stretchy cape-cowl thingy that is versatile and can be worn year round: You could either wear it as a cowl under a coat or sweater in cold weather, or as a shoulder cover over a simple top, tank or summer dress during warmer times.

Upsizing is realtively simple. Just add extra units to make the circumference larger, and to make it longer, just add a pair of right- and left-leaning rectangles before binding off. If you are making the smallest size, but longer, be sure to buy two skeins of yarn instead of one.

Three sizes are offered in this pattern.

This pattern assumes that you know the basics of entrelac, but if you haven't done it before, I will post links to some online tutorials that will help you out.

This is a beginner entrelac project if you have already worked entrelac and know how it works. If you haven't yet been introduced to the technique, I'd consider this an intermediate project with the help of tutorials or a willing buddy who can show you the ropes.

I plan on building a tutorial of my own to offer you because I plan on knitting another one and taking lots of pictures and notes. Once that is complete, I will place a pdf somewhere on this blog so you can take a look.

Here are the particulars:

SIZES

Small (Medium, Large)

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

36 (39, 42)” circumference at widest point, unstretched

Make circumference larger by adding extra entrelac units. Can be made longer by adding extra tiers of entrelac.

February 24, 2014

Just to break up the monotony of knitting a tiny sweater for a 4-lb country singer of a dog, I thought I'd post a picture of a new pattern that you all know about but hasn't, until now, been photographed properly.

Of course, I mean "properly" in the sense that there is perfect lighting, a fantastic photographer, tons of makeup and a tiny bit of help from a tight undershirt.

But anyway: If you're so inclined to learn entrelac, and I won't call it "not your grandmother's or mother's," because I find it oddly insulting, this might be a fun try. I used the most fantastic ombre yarn, Friea Fine Handpaints, and it is a lot of fun. Girlfriend actually tried it on and rocked it as a poncho. Two pictures for you:

February 21, 2014

As you've seen in Part 1 of the series, LoL-Retta Gets a New Sweater, cutting a color-work tube with a steek is completely and totally drama free. You'll note that Chuck didn't budge when the scissors went through the steek, that there wasn't a thunderclap (not that you could hear anything based on the pictures, but you can tell that the sun was out and the lights didn't go out or anything), and that, ta-Dah! the yarn didn't unravel. Pictures like my high-tech ones taken with my i-Pad don't lie.

So, we'll carry on:

Stay tuned for the last installment. Should be coming soon. By the way: if you have some wool (the real stuff), there's nothing stopping you from casting on a tube with steeks and knitting some color work in the round for a few inches, binding off, and cutting right through it to test it out... Just sayin'!

In the last installment, I'll try to show you different ways of doing steeks.

February 19, 2014

I was sitting there stitching balls with a buddy of mine a couple weeks ago and we started talking knitting. I said Loretta was one dog who really needs a sweater now and then and that I thought a new sweater might be in order. So I showed her a picture of her wearing the last one I knit and my buddy said: "Oh, but there are steeks. I would never ever cut my knitting."

I'll be bold here and declare that there are too many knitters who think this way.

Yesterday, I cast on for Loretta's new sweater. I won't go into all the details about CO numbers and all that here because every dog has their own measurements, but I want to prove to you that steeking is no big deal, provided you use WOOL. Untreated (except for dye) WOOL. Just regular old wool. (In theory, you could also steek blends of wool and other types of fiber but that's a whole other ball of wax. You'd need to reinforce it before cutting...)

February 14, 2014

I think knitters are the ones who invented the selfie. Thank goodness no one knows.

I tell you what: It's impossible to take a picture of a newly knit hat when you're alone and without a remote.

I have a new hat pattern and I want to show it to you before the official photos (of myself-ie) are done.

Here's try number one:

Ugh. Try number two:

Great shot of my phone case. Try number 3:

No comment.

So I got wise and here is your money shot:

Top down and in the round. Malabrigo Arroyo. Finished the pattern today and it's with the tech editor.

BTW: I will be a guest knit designer on a CAL/KAL with Marly Bird, who's a crochet and knit designer. She also does these cool web casts. (Even did one with Outlander's Diana Gabaldon!) If you're interested in getting the details of the CAL/KAL via her newsletter, you can sign up here. There's also a new Ravelry group that you can join here. The patterns will be available for sale on February 25th and the official KAL/CAL starts on March 1st. Lots of prizes, and we'll both be knitting and crocheting with you and providing support and tutorials. We're calling it a Learn-A-Long because the theme is entrelac and let me tell you, I've never done it before and designing for it was a learning experience!

February 06, 2014

Well, I haven't actually been on my butt--in the sense of being on one's butt that is. Because, unless you have one of those desks you stand at or walk under (treadmill, ha ha), one has to sort of be on their butt to work in this business. But you know what I mean. Yeah, I've been sitting on my butt for two years writing a book and knitting for it. I don't knit while standing too often unless I have to hop up because one of the dogs begin to sound like they might throw up, but generally speaking, yes, I have been on my butt--actively--yet, I've been only focused on one thing for a long, long time: writing, knitting, procrastinating, swatching, and not cleaning the house.

Something did happen a few weeks ago, though. It was like the clouds parted and my brain decided that it was okay to let an old love in. So, I began to start knitting for fun again. Without realizing it, that is. (See photo above. This is the first mindless, happy, fun and easy design that I just knit and jotted down for the heck of it. Girlfriend won't take it off.)

And this is a good thing. One always wants a job that they enjoy. And yes, I do enjoy what I do. But knitting hasn't been a hobby for me for a long, long time. It has been a job, although a job that I enjoy.

Which brings me to allllll the things that I did in between finishing the book (which I will tell you more about soon) and absent mindedly picking up the needles for fun again. I:

Embroidered like a mad woman

Folded paper folders for which I have almost no use (but, but. . . I have a bone folding tool!)

Continued embroidering those crazy balls

Sewed stuff, like lots of stuff

Nagged Girlfriend to stuff the stuff under her bed into a box for sorting

Planted about twelve poppy plants

Decided that all I want to cook and eat are two fares: Mexican and Indian

Made lots of pickles

I also decided to try something new that I told you about last week: Entrelac. The capelet is finito. And here it is, in all its glory, along with some spiffy sweat pants, a tank top, and a top knot that will knock your socks off. (A KAL/CAL will be announced soon. It will be a super-fun knit and I will love to see all the color combos people come up with.)

Sorry you don't have a great view here. It's just that I have a need to photograph pretty much everything in front of my gold mirror after I get home from the gym. Plus, the lighting is good in that room. (Despite the hobo-chic attempt at fashion. *No disrespect to hobos intended*)